Cotton conveyer blower



Nov. 20, 1945. L. E. NICKLA ETAL 2,389,533

CO'TTON CONVEYER BLOWER Filed April 19, 1945 2 sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 20,1945'. L.' E. NICKLA Erm. 2,389,533

' COTTON CONVEYER BLOWER Filed April 19, 1945 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/ fQ fl/ /q 26 25 l/l fg Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNI 'TalaN STATES PATENT oFFICE COTTON CONVEYER BLOWER Leurs E. Niclua, Cicero, and Arthurn.Crawford,

Riverside; Ill., assgnors to International Harvester Company,` acorporation ofNw Jersey lApplication March 19, 1945, Serial No. 583,566

This invention concerns blowers for energizing pneumatic convey'crsystems' and primarily relates tozanimproved blower vestibule whichintroduces material-laden air-.into a blower in a fashion expeditingpassage of the material therethrough without impact with or bythe bladedrotor,

Theinvention'is particularly useful in a pneumatic system forI conveyingcotton from a mechanical cotton picking unit to a cotton receptacletransported with the" unit across a field of cotton plants beingharvested. A1 characteristic of cardinal importance in the oper-ation'ofa fan orblower insuch a system is that it shall not cause thec'ottonseeds to strike'or be struck by any surface with suflicientimpact to bebroken or cracked thereby. When the hard impervious surfacesofseeds areruptured, the oil leaks out making them less` valuable to seedprocessing mills and also discolor the cotton whereby its grade andvalue are lowered.

A general object of this invention is the provisionofacotton conveyingblower so constructed that theY cotton seeds will be' treated Withsufficient gentleness to avoid breaking their shells; This is`accomplished by constructing the blower so the` blades of its rotor areprevented from striking the cotton and the seeds.

A more specific object is the provision in a blower of a casing with avestibule spaced axially from the rotor and having a tangential air andsplined to the shaft Il as indicated at 23, Saidcotton inlet and acotton deflecting wall receiving the cotton by way of said inlet andleading' circumferentially of the casing as well as axially thereof forshunting the cotton about the rotor onto the interior of the casingradially outwardly therefrom.

The above and other desirable objects inherent in and encompassed by theinvention will be better understood upon reading the ensuing descriptionwith. reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a blower constructed according to theprinciples of this invention;

Figure 2 is a back end elevation of the blower of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on a plane extending axiallyof the blower and in the direction indicated by the arrows 3-3 in Figure2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view looking upwardly on a plane asindicated by the arrows 4-4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a back end elevational view of the fan rotor employed in theblower; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary View looking radial- 55 ly of the rotor froman edge thereof as indi-` communicative coaxial relation with the rearadmittance end of the rotor and provides communication between thevestibuleV and the main part of the casing. e

The rotor I2 is fixed for rotation with a drive shaft I1 thereforrotatable within a-bearing I8-v carried within the front wall I9 of thecasing. This rotor comprises six impeller blades ZIradiatingequiangularly from a hub 22 which is blades are secured at their frontedges by means of flanges 24 to an end plate 25 which assists inmaintaining the equiang'ularV relation of said blades. A circular wireor rod 26'pa'sses through rearward portions of the blades near theirouter ends, and this member assists the plate 25 in maintaining theblades in the desired formation. The circular rod 26 also provides asupport for radiating elements 21 of'a fan guardassembly. 28. In thepresent arrangement there areve of these radiating elements 21k disposedbetween adjacent ones of the impellerblades 2l. Sheet metal crown strips28 are attached-to the rear crown strips forming spaced segments 29 ofthe conical guard assembly, while opposite edge portions of` said stripsare carried together and" welded Ior otherwise suitably secured to the0p'- posite sides of the'part 21 or 2|.with which they are respectfullyassociated. The entire guardv assembly is conical with radiating slots3I between the radial elements 28'. The inner ends of the elements 28'are held against an enlarged rear end portion of the hub 22 by a cap 32and a cap screw 33 turned into the back end of the drive shaft I1.

The generally circular vestibule I3 has a concave inner side facing therotor I2 and of greater diameter than such rotor so that the cotton fromcotton-laden air can slide from the inner periphery of the vestibuleonto the cylindrical wall II of the main portion oi the casing Withoutcoming into contact with the rotor blades II extendingcircumferentiallyV about a" A; circular opening I5 in the rearv end wallIB of the main part of the casing is inand by a minimum of contact, ifany, with the fan guard structure. There is a graduation in depth of theconcave inner periphery of the vestibule, the graduation in depth beingin an axial direction,V with reference to the rotor, andcircumferentially of the structure. A circumferential portion of thevestibule wall conforms to a torous having an axis a-a of generation,see Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The point of greatest cavity depth for thiscircumferential portion of graduated depth in an axial direction is atthe upper side Where an inlet opening 34 is formed for the reception ofan end of the inlet conduit I4. The rearmost portion of the vestibulewall generated about the axis a-a forms a deflector wall for cottonentering the vestibule through the conduit I 4, this deilector wallleading circumferentially of the rotor axis and axially of the rotoronto the wall II in circumscribing relation with the rotor.

In the operation of the blower, the rotating rotor I2 discharges aircentrifugally in a radial outward direction against the cylindricaldischarge wall II, the rotation of the rotor being counter-clockwise asthe apparatus is viewed from the rear in Figures 2 and 5, so that theair discharged from the wall II is upwardly through an outlet conduit35. Air thus discharged from the spaces between the fan or rotor blades2I is replaced by air forced by the atmosphere through a cotton pickingunit (not shown) where such air is laden with cotton and proceeds intothe vestibule I3 lthrough the conduit I4. Such cotton is, of course,seed .cotton of which the seeds are to be protected. The inlet opening3d is arranged so that the conduit I4 discharges into the vestibuletangentially of the interior helical wall periphery generated about theaxis a-a forming an inlet passage leading from said opening or entrancecircumferentially of the rotor axis and axially of the rotor onto theinterior periphery of the rotor circumscribing wall II en route to thedischarge conduit 35. Because of the somewhat helically curved proiileof the vestibule wall portion engaged by the said cotton, such cottonhas no sudden impact against this Wall portion and is guided therebygently onto the cylindrical Wall II. There can be no striking of thesaid cotton by the fan blades 2|, since I the radial slots 3| in theguard assembly are too narrow for permitting cotton to enter theseslots, although the air entering the rotor does pass through these slotsinto the space between the fan blades from where it is centrifugallyejected.

Having thus described the preferred form of the invention as well as theobjects, purposes, and advantages thereof with the view of fullyillustrating the invention, we claim:

1. A seed cotton transferring blower comprising a fan blade rotor havingair admittance at an end and radial discharge of such air, a rotorcasing including a wall spacedly circumscribing the rotor in radialregistry therewith and having a discharge passage for the blower, and avestibule disposed oppositely to the air admittance end of the rotor outof radial registry therewith, said vestibule containing an inlet passageportion in the form of a helical cotton-deector Wall leadingcircumferentially of the rotor axis and axially of the rotor onto saidcircumscribing wall.

2. `A seed cotton transferring blower comprising a fan blade rotorhaving air admittance at an end and radial discharge of such air, a,rotor casing including a wall spacedly circumscribing the rotor inradial registry therewith and having a discharge passage for the blower,and a vestibule disposed oppositely to said air admittance end of therotor out of radial registry therewith, said vestibule having anentrance spaced radially from the rotor axis and disposed for'thereception 0f a cotton-laden air stream directed normally to thedirection the entrance is spaced from said axis, and said vestibulehaving an interior helical wall periphery forming an inlet passageleading from said entrance circumferentially of said axis and axially ofthe rotor onto the inner periphery of said circumscribing wall.

3. In a seed cotton transferring blower comprising a fan rotor with anair admittance end and a rotor casing having a circular discharge wallabout the rotor in radial spaced relation thereto and also having an airadmittance end with an opening in communicative coaxial relation withthe admittance end of said rotor, a vestibule-forming cover member forsaid opening, said cover member having a concave inner side of graduateddepth circumferentially of said member, and a cotton-laden airentranceleading tangentially thereinto from the exterior at the portionof greatest depth of the cavity and generally in the direction oflessening depth of the cavity.

4. In a seed cotton transferring blower; a rotor with an air admittanceend and radial discharge; and a rotor casing comprising a circulardischarge wall about said rotor in radial spaced relation thereto, and acircular vestibuleforming wall in opposed spaced relation to theadmittance end of the rotor, the last named wall having a concave innerside of greater diameter than the rotor and leading axially thereof ontosaid circular wall, the cavity depth in said wall being graduated in anaxial direction circumferentially thereof and having a cottonladen airentrance leading tangentially thereinto at the portion of greatestcavity depth and in the direction of lessening depth of the cavity.

LOUIS E. NICKLA. ARTHUR R. CRAWFORD.

